Journals for January 20 to January 30, 2009

January 20, 2009

You will be listening to a song in Hawaiian. It tells a story. Can you guess what the story is about based on the music? Give it a try. Support your guess with evidence from the music.

Here’s a hint. Read the lyrics from the song.

“He’s a happy, snappy fellow in the touchOh so mellow, of the wisty misty falling of

the showersThat bring a shine to the lumpy,Bumpy kind of dark green skin on his

shouldersHe’ll just wait for a date till his song of

lateNight hours finds the ear of his beloved”

Today we will:

• Take the SRI!• Take a DOL quiz.

January 21, 2009Poetry can sometimes be difficult to understand. The meaning of a poem can be buried underneath the words. We can only understand the poet’s meaning by reading carefully and identifying all the elements. It is like this picture. On the surface, it looks like a picture of flowers. But what else can you see? Explain!

Daily Oral Language for 1/21/09

our family hasn’t never went

to see our friends new house

in mexico because it is two far

Pd 1 Today we will:

• Learn about onomatopoeia• Read “The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe• Analyze usage of onomatopoeia in

“The Bells”• Write poetry using onomatopoeia

Pd 5 Today we will:

• Review characteristics of a ballad.• Identify the characteristics of an epic poem

and a mock heroic poem.• Read an excerpt from Beowulf and “Casey at

the Bat.”

BCR Pd 5

• Review “The Cremation of Sam McGee,” “The Dying Cowboy,” and “Maiden-Saving Sam.”• Which one is the best example of

a ballad? Give at least three reasons why.

Pd 6 Today we will:

• Review epic vs. mock heroic.– In what ways does “Casey at the Bat” mock epics

like Beowulf?• Identify figurative language in “Casey at the

Bat.”• Practice writing similes.

Pd 7 Today we will:

• Review our free verse poems.– How will we grade our poems?– What will our poems look like when they are

typed?• Type our free verse poems.• Revise and rewrite our Haiku poems.– Check for proper syllables per line.– Check topic - - Now it has to be about nature!

January 22, 2009

Which poem have you liked best? Or which poem do you think is the easiest to understand? Or which poem did you dislike the most?

Explain your choice!

Daily Oral Language for 1/22/09

dear mr wong

thanks for leaving me interview you i also enjoyed

you’re tour of the worldwide computer company

sincerely

ron cohen

Pd 1 Today we will:

• Understand Poe’s usage of onomatopoeia in “The Bells”• Write poems using onomatopoeia

Pd 1 BCR

• Explain how Poe uses onomatopoeia to help deliver his message. What do the different stanzas represent? What does this have to do with the entirety of “The Bells”? Use evidence from the poem to support your answer.

Pd 5 Today we will:

• Finish taking notes on epic poems and mock heroic poems.

• Identify the characteristics of an epic.– Read an excerpt from Beowulf.

• Identify the characteristics of a mock heroic poem.– Read “Casey at the Bat.”

Pd 6 Today we will:

• Share similes.• Define metaphor and

personification.• Evaluate author’s message.–Read Elizabeth Alexander’s

Inaugural Poem.

Pd 6 BCR

• Evaluate the author’s message.– First, you need to identify the message. Explain

how you know that is her intended message.– Next, you need to decide if her message was

appropriate for her audience and the time. Ask yourself if this poem is the best poem for the start of a presidential term?

– Finally, you need to clearly state you decision about the appropriateness of her message.

Pd 7 Today we will:

• Type our free verse poems.– Proofread carefully with a partner.– Beam to Mrs. Reddish.

• Revise and rewrite our Haiku poems.– Check for proper syllables per line.– Check topic - - Now it has to be about nature!

January 23, 2009

• With a callous laugh, Melissa turned her back on her sobbing boyfriend and walked off with the oil tycoon.

• Separate the words into synonyms and antonyms for callous.

Unfeeling tenderheartless sympatheticEmpathetic kindly crass

unsympathetic• Then add to the story of Melissa and her

poor boyfriend.

Daily Oral Language for 1/23/09

because the park ranger gave me

and mom a tip about the better

spot in pleasant lake for trout

Pd 1 Today we will:

• Share our poems using onomatopoeia.• Revise and rewrite our poems after

discussing them with a partner.• Identify the characteristics of a ballad.–Read “The Cremation of Sam McGee”

p. 486.

Partner Work

• Focus on one poem at a time.• Read your partner’s poem and try to guess

what he/she wanted to achieve with the onomatopoeia. Mood?

• Make suggestions for revision on the poem. • Give feedback in writing.– What did he/she do well?– How could he/she improve.

Pd 5 Today we will:

• Review epic poem and mock heroic poem.

• Explain how “Casey at the Bat” is a mock heroic poem.

• Define Simile.• Create original similes.

Pd 5 BCR

• In what ways does “Casey at the Bat” mock epics like Beowulf?–Look at your t-chart. Use the

information in your t-chart to answer the question.

Pd 6 Today we will:

• Review simile, metaphor, and personification.• Identify characteristics of limericks.– Read examples of limericks.– Analyze structure and form.

• Write a limerick.

Pd 6 Quick Check!

1. How are similes and metaphors similar?

2. How are similes and metaphors different?

3. What is personification?4. Why do you think poets use

figurative language like simile, metaphor, and personification?

Pd 7 Today we will:

• Finish up free verse poem.– Beam!– Print!– Turn in packet!

• Rewrite our Haiku poem.– Follow all rules.– On clean sheet of paper.

• Write a limerick.

Limerick

A teacher in Mardela Springs,Desperately wanted to sing.

So she asked Mr. BaerIf she should dare.

Said he ‘twas a dangerous thing!

January 28, 2009

• “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages you’ve had.”

» F. Scott Fitzgerald

• It’s easy—and often really fun—to criticize people we don’t know. Do you feel you’re fair to other people, especially those you don’t know very well, or do you criticize too much? Write about your tendency to be critical or fair.

Daily Oral Language for 1/28/09

of the two dogs inside of the

fenced yard the white one seems

the friskiest

January 29, 2008

Write a silly poem using all the words below.

Twins bleachers football actor Plane German triangle Ink Crocodile Toupee telephone acrobat

Daily Oral Language for 1/29/09

someones irish terrier ran down

the street jumps into the pool

and then laid down on the grass

January 30, 2009

• FREE JOURNAL

• NEED AN IDEA: Write a story or poem about my little snowman you’ve been looking at for the last two weeks.

Daily Oral Language for 1/30/09